Travel Tip: Art and Archaeology in SwitzerlandGaza at the Crossroad of Civilizations

Stretched between Egypt and Israel, the 362 km2 of the Gaza Strip are in the headlines with tragic regularity, masking the fabulous archaeological riches under its soil. Pharaonic, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic sites fill the territory, an essential relay point on the overland road between Africa and Asia and an important port at the outlet of the Incense Route.

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire is offering a large exhibition displaying the multiple facets of this archaeological heritage that reflects the multiplicity of civilisations that have permeated the region. The event is being held in the framework of a UNESCO-sanctioned project to create an archaeological museum on the site of the ancient port of Gaza. Funded by a board of Palestinian civilian trustees, the future museum’s development will proceed with scientific and technical support from the Museums Division of the City of Geneva.